THE EARLY COUGH REMEDY RECOMMENDED BY DOCTORS!
HEALTH CHIEFS RECOMMEND ‘NATURE’ IN FIGHT AGAINST SUPERBUGS NHS watchdogs endorse honey as the first defence against coughs
RECENT advice published by Public Health England and NHS watchdog NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence), confirms what many of us have known for years: honey should be the first line of treatment for coughs.
The advice follows experts’ concerns that doctors too often prescribe antibiotics for coughs and colds. People suffering from the initial stages of a cough should drink honey and lemon rather than take antibiotics in the battle against superbugs, the new advice declared. However if symptoms persist then a GP should be consulted.
Experts are increasingly worried that the over-use of antibiotics allows superbugs to evolve and resist treatment – making antibiotics useless against more serious infections.
The new guidelines, for both GPs and patients, say antibiotics make little difference to cough symptoms. The new guidelines, for both GPs and patients say antibiotics make little difference to mild cough symptoms.
Dr Tessa Lewis of NICE said: “In the committee’s view, taking a spoonful of honey or a honey and lemon drink is a good first step for self-treatment of a cough. Honey is a natural remedy which has been tried and tested for generations.”
NICE cited a 2014 study of 568 people which found a 10g spoonful of honey significantly reduces the frequency and severity of coughs within a day.
Dr Lewis added that babies under one year should not be given honey due to the risk of infant botulism.
She said: “If someone has a runny nose, sore throat and cough we would expect the cough to settle over two to three weeks and antibiotics are not needed. If the cough is getting worse or the person feels very unwell or breathless then they would need to contact their GP.”
Dr Susan Hopkins, of Public Health England, said: “Antibiotic resistance is a huge problem and we need to take action now. Taking antibiotics when you don’t need them puts you and your family at risk of developing infections which in turn cannot be easily treated.”
Dr Hopkins concluded: “The new guidelines will support GPs to reduce antibiotic prescriptions and also encourage patients to take their GPs’ advice about self-care.”